Doctor
Steven M. Hoefflin isn't shy about the limelight. The silver-haired
plastic surgeon often appears on TV shows, but as a policy he refuses
to comment about his celebrity patients. It has been widely reported that
Dr.
Hoefflin is the original "Doc Hollywood," the cosmetic surgeon
to the stars.

If a celebrity is looking for a face lift, breast enhancement, nose job,
liposuction or other cosmetic work,chances are good that he or she will
turn up at the private rear entrance to the Hoefflin building, a block-long,
red brick medical complex in sunny Santa Monica.

According
to news reports, Dr. Hoefflin's famous patients have includedMichael Jackson,
his sisterJanet Jackson,
Elizabeth Taylor, Don Johnson,
Nancy Sinatra, Joan Rivers,
Phyllis Diller, Sly Stallone,
Donald Trumpand
his former wifeIvana, Tony Curtis,
and in his early days, quite a few Playboy Playmates.

Dr. Hoefflin has also had his name come up in the news in two other recent
stories. In late 1997, he was credited with rescuing a homeless man who
attempted to commit suicide by jumping off the Santa Monica Pier. Hoefflin,
who was out to dinner with friends, jumped into the ocean and pulled the
man to safety.

A few months later, though,
his name was in newspapers again when there were public allegations made
that Dr. Hoefflin had exposed, fondled and ridiculed some of his famous
patients while they were on the operating table, charges which the doctor
vehemently denied, and which he said was the work of a disgruntled, jealous
former business partner. In July of 1998, he filed a lawsuit charging fraud
and defamation against those four ex-employees accusing him. The accusations
were not made by any of the doctor's celebrity patients, some of whom immediately
rallied to his defense. A subsequent investigation by the California Medical
Board cleared him of the charges.

Getting
there:Dr. Hoefflin's
offices are located on the south side of Arizona Avenue, about a mile inland
from the Santa Monica beach.

This webpage
is not associated with, nor approved by, Dr. Hoefflin, his business, or
any of his celebrity clients. Use of stars' images here does not constitute
any form of endorsement on their part, and are used solely to illustrate
this article. Click here to read more disclaimers.

This webpage is not associated
with any business described in the article above, and does not constitute
an
endorsement of this or any other business. The photos of celebrities on
this page also do not constitute
endorsements by them of any kind, and are used by the author solely to
illustrate this online article.(Click here to
read other disclaimers)